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Retraction Ni Jose Rizal
Retraction Ni Jose Rizal
Retraction Ni Jose Rizal
dokumento at pananaw
Published December 29, 2016 7:05pm
By XIAO CHUA
There seems to be no end to the debate whether Rizal retracted his writings
against the Catholic Church on the very last day of his life. Will a new
independent testimony settle the debate finally?
Ngunit, ilang oras bago siya barilin, pinirmahan daw ni Rizal ang isang
dokumento na nagsasabing siya raw ay isang Katoliko at binabawi niya lahat
ng kanyang mga sinulat laban sa simbahan. Nakilala ang dokumento bilang
ang retraktasyon, “The Retraction.” Dahil sa kanyang pagbabalik-loob sa
simbahan, ikinasal sila ni Josephine Bracken, ang kanyang huling pag-ibig.
Ang sinasabing retraktasyon ni Rizal. Courtesy Ambeth R. Ocampo
Salin ng dokumento ng retraktasyon
Ayon sa ilan, mas lalong naging dakila si Rizal sa pagkilala ng kanyang mga
kamalian laban sa pananampalataya. Ngunit para naman sa marami, hindi
kapanipaniwala na sa huling sandali ng kanyang buhay, babawiin niya ang
kanyang mga sinulat, ang dahilan ng kanya mismong pagkabayani. Para na
rin niyang itinapon ang kanyang kabayanihan.
“Most Illustrious Sir, the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia stationed in Fort
Santiago to report on the events during the [illegible] day in prison of the
accused Jose Rizal, informs me on this date of the following:
“At 7:50 yesterday morning, Jose Rizal entered death row accompanied by his
counsel, Señor Taviel de Andrade, and the Jesuit priest Vilaclara. At the
urgings of the former and moments after entering, he was served a light
breakfast. At approximately 9, the Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, asked
Rizal if he wanted anything. He replied that at the moment he only wanted a
prayer book which was brought to him shortly by Father March.
“Señor Andrade left death row at 10 and Rizal spoke for a long while with the
Jesuit fathers, March and Vilaclara, regarding religious matters, it seems. It
appears that these two presented him with a prepared retraction on his life
and deeds that he refused to sign. They argued about the matter until 12:30
when Rizal ate some poached egg and a little chicken. Afterwards he asked to
leave to write and wrote for a long time by himself.
“At 3 in the afternoon, Father March entered the chapel and Rizal handed him
what he had written. Immediately the chief of the firing squad, Señor del
Fresno and the Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, were informed. They
entered death row and together with Rizal signed the document that the
accused had written. It seems this was the retraction.”
Makikita na ang dalawang binanggit na opisyal, sina Juan del Fresno at Eloy
Moure, ay ang mga nakapirma mismo sa dokumento ng retraktasyon na
tumayong mga saksi. Gayundin binanggit ng guwardiya na bago dalhin sa
Luneta si Rizal, ikinasal siya kay Josephine Bracken:
“At 5 this morning of the 30th, the lover of Rizal arrived at the prison
…dressed in mourning. Only the former entered the chapel, followed by a
military chaplain whose name I cannot ascertain. Donning his formal clothes
and aided by a soldier of the artillery, the nuptials of Rizal and the woman who
had been his lover were performed at the point of death (in articulo mortis).
After embracing him she left, flooded with tears.”
“Ilibing niyo ako sa lupa. Lagyan ninyo ng panandang bato at KRUS. Ang
aking pangalan, araw ng kapanganakan at ng kamatayan. Wala nang iba.
Kung pagkatapos ay nais niyong bakuran ang aking puntod, maaari niyong
gawin. Wala nang anibersaryo. Mas mabuti kung sa Paang Bundok. Kaawaan
ninyo si Josephine.”
Sa kanyang huling tula, binaggit din ni Rizal ang panandang krus sa kanyang
libingan ng dalawang beses.
“Suffer the moon to keep watch, tranquil and suave, over me:
Suffer the dawn its flying lights to release:
Suffer the wind to lament in murmurous and grave manner:
And should a bird drift down and alight on my CROSS,
Suffer the bird to intone its canticle of peace.
Me declaro catolica y en esta Religion en que naci y me eduque quiero vivir y morir.
Me retracto de todo corazon de cuanto en mis palabras, escritos, inpresos y conducta ha habido contrario a mi cualidad de
hijo de la Iglesia Catolica. Creo y profeso cuanto ella enseña y me somento a cuanto ella manda. Abomino de la Masonaria,
como enigma que es de la Iglesia, y como Sociedad prohibida por la Iglesia. Puede el Prelado Diocesano, como Autoridad
Superior Eclesiastica hacer publica esta manifastacion espontanea mia para reparar el escandalo que mis actos hayan
podido causar y para que Dios y los hombers me perdonen.
Jose Rizal
Ayudante de Plaza
Eloy Moure
Translation (English)
I declare myself a catholic and in this Religion in which I was born and educated I wish to live and die.
I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications and conduct has been contrary to my character as
son of the Catholic Church. I believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I submit to whatever she demands. I
abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and as a Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan Prelate
may, as the Superior Ecclesiastical Authority, make public this spontaneous manifestation of mine in order to repair the
scandal which my acts may have caused and so that God and people may pardon me.
Jose Rizal
Me declaro catolica y en esta Religion en que naci y me eduque quiero vivir y morir.
Me retracto de todo corazon de cuanto en mis palabras, escritos, inpresos y conducta ha habido contrario a mis cualidades
de hijo de la Iglesia Catolica. Creo y profeso cuanto ella enseña y me somento a cuanto ella manda. Abomino de la
Masonaria, como enigma que es de la Iglesia y como sociedad prohibida por la Iglesia. Puede el Prelado Diocesano, como
autoridad superior eclesiastica hacer publica esta manifastacion espontanea para reparar el escandalo que mis actos hayan
podido causar y para que Dios y los hombers me perdonen.
Manila, 29 de Diciembre de
1896-Jose Rizal
Ayudante de Plaza
Eloy Moure
Me declaro catolica y en esta Religion en que naci y me eduque quiero vivir y morir. Me retracto de todo corazon de cuanto
en mis palabras, escritos, inpresos y conducta ha habido contrario a mi calidad de hijo de la Iglesia. Creo y profeso cuanto
ella enseña y me somento a cuanto Ella manda. Abomino de la Masonaria, como enigma que es de la Iglesia, y como
Sociedad prohibida por la misma Iglesia.
Puede el Prelado diocesano, como Autoridad superior eclesiastica hacer publica esta manifastacion espontanea mia, para
reparar el escandalo que mis actos hayan podido causar, y para que Dios y los hombers me perdonen.
Manila, 29 de Diciembre de
1896-Jose Rizal
The first text was published in La Voz Española and Diaro de Manila on the very day of Rizal’s execution, Dec. 30, 1896.
The second text appeared in Barcelona, Spain, on February 14, 1897, in the fortnightly magazine in La Juventud; it came
from an anonymous writer who revealed himself fourteen years later as Fr. Balaguer. The "original" text was discovered in
the archdiocesan archives on May 18, 1935, after it disappeared for thirty-nine years from the afternoon of the day when
Rizal was shot.
We know not that reproductions of the lost original had been made by a copyist who could imitate Rizal’s handwriting. This
fact is revealed by Fr. Balaguer himself who, in his letter to his former superior Fr. Pio Pi in 1910, said that he had received
"an exact copy of the retraction written and signed by Rizal. The handwriting of this copy I don’t know nor do I remember
whose it is. . ." He proceeded: "I even suspect that it might have been written by Rizal himself. I am sending it to you that
you may . . . verify whether it might be of Rizal himself . . . ." Fr. Pi was not able to verify it in his sworn statement.
This "exact" copy had been received by Fr. Balaguer in the evening immediately preceding Rizal’s execution, Rizal y su
Obra, and was followed by Sr. W. Retana in his biography of Rizal, Vida y Escritos del Jose Rizal with the addition of the
names of the witnesses taken from the texts of the retraction in the Manila newspapers. Fr. Pi’s copy of Rizal’s retraction
has the same text as that of Fr. Balaguer’s "exact" copy but follows the paragraphing of the texts of Rizal’s retraction in
the Manila newspapers.
Regarding the "original" text, no one claimed to have seen it, except the publishers of La Voz Espanola. That newspaper
reported: "Still more; we have seen and read his (Rizal’s) own hand-written retraction which he sent to our dear and
venerable Archbishop…" On the other hand, Manila pharmacist F. Stahl wrote in a letter: "besides, nobody has seen this
written declaration, in spite of the fact that quite a number of people would want to see it. "For example, not only Rizal’s
family but also the correspondents in Manila of the newspapers in Madrid, Don Manuel Alhama of El Imparcial and Sr.
Santiago Mataix of El Heraldo, were not able to see the hand-written retraction.
Neither Fr. Pi nor His Grace the Archbishop ascertained whether Rizal himself was the one who wrote and signed the
retraction. (Ascertaining the document was necessary because it was possible for one who could imitate Rizal’s handwriting
aforesaid holograph; and keeping a copy of the same for our archives, I myself delivered it personally that the same
morning to His Grace Archbishop… His Grace testified: At once the undersigned entrusted this holograph to Rev. Thomas
Gonzales Feijoo, secretary of the Chancery." After that, the documents could not be seen by those who wanted to examine
it and was finally considered lost after efforts to look for it proved futile.
On May 18, 1935, the lost "original" document of Rizal’s retraction was discovered by the archdeocean archivist Fr. Manuel
Garcia, C.M. The discovery, instead of ending doubts about Rizal’s retraction, has in fact encouraged it because the newly
discovered text retraction differs significantly from the text found in the Jesuits’ and the Archbishop’s copies. And, the fact
that the texts of the retraction which appeared in the Manila newspapers could be shown to be the exact copies of the
"original" but only imitations of it. This means that the friars who controlled the press in Manila (for example, La Voz
Española) had the "original" while the Jesuits had only the imitations.
We now proceed to show the significant differences between the "original" and the Manila newspapers texts of the
retraction on the one hand and the text s of the copies of Fr. Balaguer and F5r. Pio Pi on the other hand.
First, instead of the words "mi cualidad" (with "u") which appear in the original and the newspaper texts, the Jesuits’
copies have "mi calidad" (with "u").
Second, the Jesuits’ copies of the retraction omit the word "Catolica" after the first "Iglesias" which are found in the
original and the newspaper texts.
Third, the Jesuits’ copies of the retraction add before the third "Iglesias" the word "misma" which is not found in the
original and the newspaper texts of the retraction.
Fourth, with regards to paragraphing which immediately strikes the eye of the critical reader, Fr. Balaguer’s text does not
begin the second paragraph until the fifth sentences while the original and the newspaper copies start the second
paragraph immediately with the second sentences.
Fifth, whereas the texts of the retraction in the original and in the manila newspapers have only four commas, the text of
Fr. Balaguer’s copy has eleven commas.
Sixth, the most important of all, Fr. Balaguer’s copy did not have the names of the witnesses from the texts of the
newspapers in Manila.
In his notarized testimony twenty years later, Fr. Balaguer finally named the witnesses. He said "This . . .retraction was
signed together with Dr. Rizal by Señor Fresno, Chief of the Picket, and Señor Moure, Adjutant of the Plaza." However, the
proceeding quotation only proves itself to be an addition to the original. Moreover, in his letter to Fr. Pi in 1910, Fr.
Balaguer said that he had the "exact" copy of the retraction, which was signed by Rizal, but her made no mention of the
witnesses. In his accounts too, no witnesses signed the retraction.
How did Fr. Balaguer obtain his copy of Rizal’s retraction? Fr. Balaguer never alluded to having himself made a copy of the
retraction although he claimed that the Archbishop prepared a long formula of the retraction and Fr. Pi a short formula. In
Fr. Balaguer’s earliest account, it is not yet clear whether Fr. Balaguer was using the long formula of nor no formula in
dictating to Rizal what to write. According to Fr. Pi, in his own account of Rizal’s conversion in 1909, Fr. Balaguer dictated
from Fr. Pi’s short formula previously approved by the Archbishop. In his letter to Fr. Pi in 1910, Fr. Balaguer admitted that
he dictated to Rizal the short formula prepared by Fr. Pi; however; he contradicts himself when he revealed that the
"exact" copy came from the Archbishop. The only copy, which Fr. Balaguer wrote, is the one that appeared ion his earliest
account of Rizal’s retraction.
Where did Fr. Balaguer’s "exact" copy come from? We do not need long arguments to answer this question, because Fr.
Balaguer himself has unwittingly answered this question. He said in his letter to Fr. Pi in 1910:
"…I preserved in my keeping and am sending to you the original texts of the two formulas of retraction, which they (You)
gave me; that from you and that of the Archbishop, and the first with the changes which they (that is, you) made; and the
other the exact copy of the retraction written and signed by Rizal. The handwriting of this copy I don’t know nor do I
remember whose it is, and I even suspect that it might have been written by Rizal himself."
In his own word quoted above, Fr. Balaguer said that he received two original texts of the retraction. The first, which came
from Fr. Pi, contained "the changes which You (Fr. Pi) made"; the other, which is "that of the Archbishop" was "the exact
copy of the retraction written and signed by Rizal" (underscoring supplied). Fr. Balaguer said that the "exact copy" was
"written and signed by Rizal" but he did not say "written and signed by Rizal and himself" (the absence of the reflexive
pronoun "himself" could mean that another person-the copyist-did not). He only "suspected" that "Rizal himself" much as
Fr. Balaguer did "not know nor ... remember" whose handwriting it was.
Thus, according to Fr. Balaguer, the "exact copy" came from the Archbishop! He called it "exact" because, not having seen
the original himself, he was made to believe that it was the one that faithfully reproduced the original in comparison to
that of Fr. Pi in which "changes" (that is, where deviated from the "exact" copy) had been made. Actually, the difference
between that of the Archbishop (the "exact" copy) and that of Fr. Pi (with "changes") is that the latter was "shorter" be
cause it omitted certain phrases found in the former so that, as Fr. Pi had fervently hoped, Rizal would sign it.
According to Fr. Pi, Rizal rejected the long formula so that Fr. Balaguer had to dictate from the short formula of Fr. Pi.
Allegedly, Rizal wrote down what was dictated to him but he insisted on adding the phrases "in which I was born and
educated" and "[Masonary]" as the enemy that is of the Church" – the first of which Rizal would have regarded as
unnecessary and the second as downright contrary to his spirit. However, what actually would have happened, if we are to
believe the fictitious account, was that Rizal’s addition of the phrases was the retoration of the phrases found in the
original which had been omitted in Fr. Pi’s short formula.
The "exact" copy was shown to the military men guarding in Fort Santiago to convince them that Rizal had retracted.
Someone read it aloud in the hearing of Capt. Dominguez, who claimed in his "Notes’ that Rizal read aloud his retraction.
However, his copy of the retraction proved him wrong because its text (with "u") and omits the word "Catolica" as in Fr.
Balaguer’s copy but which are not the case in the original. Capt. Dominguez never claimed to have seen the retraction: he
only "heard".
The truth is that, almost two years before his execution, Rizal had written a retraction in Dapitan. Very early in 1895,
Josephine Bracken came to Dapitan with her adopted father who wanted to be cured of his blindness by Dr. Rizal; their
guide was Manuela Orlac, who was agent and a mistress of a friar. Rizal fell in love with Josephine and wanted to marry
her canonically but he was required to sign a profession of faith and to write retraction, which had to be approved by the
Bishop of Cebu. "Spanish law had established civil marriage in the Philippines," Prof. Craig wrote, but the local government
had not provided any way for people to avail themselves of the right..."
In order to marry Josephine, Rizal wrote with the help of a priest a form of retraction to be approved by the Bishop of
Cebu. This incident was revealed by Fr. Antonio Obach to his friend Prof. Austin Craig who wrote down in 1912 what the
priest had told him; "The document (the retraction), inclosed with the priest’s letter, was ready for the mail when Rizal
came hurrying I to reclaim it." Rizal realized (perhaps, rather late) that he had written and given to a priest what the friars
had been trying by all means to get from him.
Neither the Archbishop nor Fr. Pi saw the original document of retraction. What they was saw a copy done by one who
could imitate Rizal’s handwriting while the original (almost eaten by termites) was kept by some friars. Both the
Archbishop and Fr. Pi acted innocently because they did not distinguish between the genuine and the imitation of Rizal’s
handwriting.
Jose Rizal
ISA PANG pagtalakay sa retraksyon ni Rizal ang aking nabasa sa �Rizal: The
Morphing Hero� ni David C. Roble, M.D. Ang akdang ito ay isinulat sa
persona ni Rizal bilang tagapagsalaysay tungkol sa kaniyang buhay, mula
pagkabata hanggang sa isyu ng retraksyon. Nakakatuwa dahil inisa-isa ng
may akda ang mga punto ng retraksyon at pinalabas nito na totoong pumirma
si Rizal sa naturang dokumento. Ngunit sabi sa akda, hindi retraksyon o
pagbawi ang tingin niya sa kaniyang nilagdaan dahil wala sa mga
pangungusap sa dokumentong ito ang labag sa kaniya nang pinaniniwalaan.
Ito ang documentong nagsasabing si Rizal ay bumalik sa simbahan at binabawi niyang ang kanyang mga
sinabi tungkol sa simbahan at sa mga pari. Mayroong higit kumulang na apat na bersyon ito. Ang isa ay inilabas noong
araw ng pagpatay kay Rizal , Dec 30, 1896, ng La Voz Española at Diaro de Manila. Ang ‘orginal text’ ay natagpuan
sa archdiocesan archives noong May 18, 1935. Ang isang bersyo naman ay galling kay Fr. Balaguer na ayon sa kanya
ay nakatanggap siya ng eksaktong kopya na may pirma ni Rizal. Ang pang-apat ay nakita noong Feb 14, 1897 sa
Barcelona, Spain.
Madaming ang bersyon ng retraction ni Rizal ngunit ang mga nilalaman nila mayroon malaking pagkakaiba
katulad nalang ni dalawang bersyon na ito. Ito ang bersyon ng La Voz Española at kay Fr. Balaguer.
Me declaro catolica y en esta Religion en que naci y me eduque quiero vivir y morir.
Me retracto de todo corazon de cuanto en mis palabras, escritos, inpresos y conducta ha habido contrario a mis
cualidades de hijo de la Iglesia Catolica. Creo y profeso cuanto ella enseña y me somento a cuanto ella manda.
Abomino de la Masonaria, como enigma que es de la Iglesia y como sociedad prohibida por la Iglesia. Puede el Prelado
Diocesano, como autoridad superior eclesiastica hacer publica esta manifastacion espontanea para reparar el
escandalo que mis actos hayan podido causar y para que Dios y los hombers me perdonen.
Manila, 29 de Diciembre de
1896-Jose Rizal
Ayudante de Plaza
Eloy Moure
Me declaro catolica y en esta Religion en que naci y me eduque quiero vivir y morir. Me retracto de todo corazon de
cuanto en mis palabras, escritos, inpresos y conducta ha habido contrario a mi calidad de hijo de la Iglesia. Creo y
profeso cuanto ella enseña y me somento a cuanto Ella manda. Abomino de la Masonaria, como enigma que es de la
Iglesia, y como Sociedad prohibida por la misma Iglesia.
Puede el Prelado diocesano, como Autoridad superior eclesiastica hacer publica esta manifastacion espontanea mia,
para reparar el escandalo que mis actos hayan podido causar, y para que Dios y los hombers me perdonen.
Manila, 29 de Diciembre de
1896-Jose Rizal
Sa “original copy” ang saliatang mis cualidades at sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguermi calidad.
Mayroong Catholica pagkatapos ng unang Iglesia sa “original copy”.
Sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer may salitang misma bago sa pangatlong Iglesias na wala naman sa “original copy”.
Sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer di nagsisimula ang pangalawang paragraph bago sa panglimang pangungusap.
Sa “original copy” naman ay nagsimula ang pangalawang paragraph pagkatapos ng pangalawang
pangungusap.
Sa “original copy” mayroong lamang na 4 na comma ngunit sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer may 11.
Magkaiba ang mga saksi sa parehang kopya.
Nasabi rin ni Fr. Balaguer na may natanggap siya ng dalawang bersyon galing kay Fr. Pi at ang “exact copy” na
gawa at may pirma ni Rizal sa arpobispo. Hindi rin sigurado si Fr. Balaguer kung si Rizal nga ang nagsulat at nagpirma.
Nasabi ring “exact copy” lang ang natanggap niya, hindi ito ang orihinal dahil kopya lamang ito.
Mayroon din nagsasabi na dati pang nagretract si Rizal upang makasalan si Josephine Bracken. Ngunit walang
ebidensya na talagang nagpakasal silang dalawang kasi wala silang marriage contract.
Kung totoo man ito o gawa gawa lang nga mga friars, mayroon motibo ang mga friars na ibalita ito sa mga
Pilipino. Una para pagdudahan si Rizal sa mga kanyang ginawa dahil anong klaseng bayani ka kung sa dulo ay babawiin
mo lang ang lahat ng iyong sinabi at nagawa. Ginawa rin ito upang mawalang ng motibasyon ang mga Pilipino para
lumaban dahil wala na silang iniidolo at upang matigal ang rebolusyon.